Trial of New York Times researcher opens in China

BEIJING, June 16 (Reuters) The trial of Zhao Yan, a New York Times researcher China accuses of fraud and leaking state secrets, opened today, in a case critics say is in violation of Chinese and international law.

Lawyers for Zhao, 44, said he would plead not guilty, but expressed little hope he would be cleared of the charges for which he faces more than 10 years in prison.

''Because these kind of cases are very special, the court seldom accepts the opinions of the defence,'' said Guan Anping, one of his two lawyers.

The trial comes after Zhao has spent nearly two years in detention and follows a start-stop process of charges being laid, then dropped and revived again, highlighting the vagaries of China's justice system.

China dropped the charges against Zhao in March, weeks before President Hu Jintao visited the United States, raising hopes for his release.

But he remained in detention and the case was revived last month, when prosecutors informed Zhao's other lawyer, Mo Shaoping, that it had been transferred to the Beijing Second Intermediate Court.

Zhao himself wrote to the Beijing Second Intermediate Court protesting against his case being heard there, and arguing that by Chinese law it should be heard by the Supreme Court, Guan said.

Watchdog group Human Rights in China said Zhao was being detained arbitrarily for exercising his right to freedom of expression.

''His case is also a violation of Chinese law,'' the New York-based organisation said.

REUTERS DH RAI0756